A little known rule in the 62-page manual issued by the city of New York to its cabdrivers is getting an update and is causing a bit of an uproar.  Subject to a $25 penalty, cabbies must now “present a professional appearance.”  A “below the fold” front-page story about this ran in last Friday’s New York Times and deserves a closer review.
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Most obvious is whether this broadly written statement is fair and objective.  New York City cabdrivers are among the most poorly paid and treated of all workers in New York.  The city enforces a scarcity of medallions that license taxis.  The taxis are owned by fleets, and are leased to cabbies for stretches of time, like by the week.  Drivers are forced to work all seven of those days, usually at least twelve hours a day.  Much of their earnings are used to pay for their lease and for fuel.

Now, as Go Green Taxi news reports, maintaining an image could cause further financial burden.  If uniforms were provided to cabbies, even if they had to pay out-of-pocket for this wardrobe expense, they could deduct the expense from their taxes.  Buying street clothes for one’s job is not customarily a deductible expense.

Who decides what constitutes a professional appearance for taxi drivers?  One passenger may not care at all; while his next “fare” may report him, though he’s wearing the same clothes!  He’s likely to be following the code: no open-toed sandals, sleeveless shirts, trousers shorter than mid-thigh, or clothes with holes.  In the white-collar professional world, any code – be it a code of conduct, of dress, or many other possibilities – suggests a mandate for conformity.  Could a real fashion police be afoot in Manhattan ready to give citations to cabbies?

Should cabbies even be equated with a profession?  Most people want to be transported between Points A and B fast and cheap. Any work that someone does is worth doing well.  Who’s to say that to one cabbie it’s just a j-o-b, but to another it’s the best career in the world!  Some really feel that way.  If you’re in the mood to talk, a great cabdriver will too.  He won’t take the long way from JFK.  Should you fly into New York via JFK, you have only yourself to blame that itinerary.  Cabbies don’t want any accidents any more than you do.

I am of the mind that cabdrivers are responsible for their own personal standards.  This means how they dress, smell, sound, and their overall demeanor and politeness is entirely up to them.  On one hand, the idea of regulating taxi drivers’ professional appearance seems like veiled discrimination against certain immigrants.  On the other hand, I have no doubt that a cab driver with a more polished appearance will be treated and tipped better.  If cabbies improve their appearance in order to be treated and tipped better, it’s because they are in search of fulfilling their aspirations.  By working to fulfill those aspirations, a cabbie is not trying to become something that he or she isn’t meant to become.  They are evolving, not in the guise of conforming to a rule on page 23 of the cabbie handbook, but because personal effectiveness is still a key to the success that is American dream.

I love this story because cabdrivers represent the American common denominator:  they are mainly immigrants with aspirations.  Many of us are either the children of immigrants, or are immigrants.  Hopefully we have taken the wheel of responsibility to represent our best selves.

If cabdrivers actually polish up their appearance, I can just imagine where it will take them in life.  Despite the flaws of a city attempting to manage the appearance of its cabdrivers, there is something impressive about the notion of it.  If you did the same, can you imagine where a revamped personal brand and image could take you?  Need a driver?  I’ll help you reach your destination.

Joseph Rosenfeld helps high-profile individuals revitalize, manage, and be secure in their personal visual brand. Visit JosephRosenfeld.com for details.